1 in 4 Republicans supports political violence if election is 'compromised,' study says

More than 1 in 4 Republicans and nearly 1 in 3 Republicans with a favorable view of former President Donald Trump say political violence is acceptable, a new study found.

The study from the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, found that while only 1 in 6 Americans supports political violence, the numbers are much higher among Republicans than Democrats.

The survey comes during the first presidential election since violent rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn the election that Trump lost to President Joe Biden – and two months after Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt.

“This is not just a partisan issue,” said Robert Jones, the president of the organization. “It’s a Trump and MAGA issue. It’s the kind of Trumpian takeover of the Republican Party.”

Anna Kelly, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement, "President Trump and Republicans stand for safer communities and keeping violent criminals off the streets."

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Violence and authoritarianism linked

According to the survey, 27% of Republicans and 32% of Republicans with a favorable view of Trump agree that “patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” Only 10% of independents and 8% of Democrats said the same.

Jones linked that support for political violence to support for authoritarianism. The study found that 67% of Republicans scored high on an authoritarian scale, including 75% of Trump-favoring Republicans, compared to 35% of independents and 28% of Democrats.

To measure authoritarianism, the study asked respondents if they agreed with four statements, including whether the country should "do what the authorities tell us to do, and get rid of the 'rotten apples,'" and whether the country needed to "put some tough leaders in power, and silence the troublemakers spreading bad ideas."

“Even those Americans who see themselves as a Republican but have an unfavorable view of Trump, they are far less likely to have this kind of authoritarian orientation that goes along with support for political violence,” Jones said.

On political violence more specifically, 24% of Republicans and 27% of Trump-favoring Republicans say that “if the 2024 presidential election is compromised by voter fraud, everyday Americans will need to ensure the rightful leader takes office, even if it requires taking violent actions.” Only 15% of independents and 10% of Democrats agreed with the statement.

There was also wide support on the right to have armed citizens serve as poll watchers to ensure a fair presidential election. Twenty-four percent of Republicans supported that, compared to 28% of Trump-supporting Republicans and 10% of independents and Democrats.

Candidates and major political parties have a long history of recruiting and training poll watchers to be their eyes and ears, but the poll watchers aren’t armed. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University warned that poll watching is ripe for abuse. In 2022, Bloomberg reported armed people were showing up at voting sites.

“A tinderbox of a country”

Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago who tracks views on political violence, told USA TODAY there has been a consistent trend since 2021 of millions of people supporting violence to meet political objectives.

“The fundamental fact is we have been a tinderbox of a country for years, and we are heading into not just the most contentious election in our lifetimes but probably the most dangerous of our lifetimes,” Pape said.

In June, the University of Chicago’s poll found that 7% of American adults, including almost 12% of Republicans, support the use of force to return Trump to the presidency. On the other hand, 10% of Americans, and about 12% of Democrats, support the use of force to prevent Trump from becoming president again.

“The real danger starts on Nov. 6,” Pape said. “Most people right now are very focused on Nov. 5 but the real danger here is likely to start Nov. 6.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 1 in 4 Republicans supports political violence, study says